Tigers Make a Good Choice and Hire Brad Ausmus As New Manager [Opinion]

It seem like it was just yesterday that Jim Leyland announced he was resigning as manager of the Detroit Tigers and many fans speculated who would be the next manager of the Tigers. Well Tiger fans, there is no need to speculate any longer, seeing that the Tigers have agreed to hire Brad Ausmus to be the team’s new manager, the team announced on Sunday.

Personally, I am fine with this decision, if you remember, I mentioned him in previous Tiger article as a replacement for Jim Leyland and it looks like the Tigers felt the same way.

While he has no experience as a manager I still think he is a good hire by the Tigers. When you talk about Ausmus, you have to remember that he is extremely intelligent, he graduated college with a degree from Dartmouth and he loves soak up knowledge like a sponge. He also knows the game of baseball seeing that he spent 18 years in the major leagues as catcher. Don’t forget he spent three of his 18 years with the Detroit Tigers. Also keep in mind that he was one of the best defensive catchers of his generation.

While he still may be inexperience, you have to remember that he won’t be alone here, the Tigers have a good veteran staff that will help him become a better manager every day. He has recently been with the San Diego Padres as special assistant I’m sure that was a great help in preparing for him the role of manager as well. I also like Ausmus’s fiery mentality which I think will pair well with the Tigers great talent. From what I hear, Ausmus is a straight up guy, who main focus it to win, so he will make sure that the Tiger players know him, his plan and ultimately respect him.

I honestly think what really scares people is whether he can help the Tigers win a World Series now. Think about, it the Tigers are not in re-building mode yet, they are still capable of competing for a World Series Title and a lot of people feel they are only a manager a way from winning one. Keep in mind, that the Tigers should have a pretty easy lineup to manage and they shouldn’t have to move many parts. With the Tigers, Ausmus gets plenty of talent especially with the starting pitching and having been part of mound meetings during in his career, he should be able to communicate with bullpen well. Ausmus is also dealing with a Tiger team that doesn’t mind spending money and of course he is dealing with best baseball fans in the world, Detroit Tiger fans. So while he may be facing some immediate pressure, seeing that the Tigers want to win now, I have no reason to think he can’t get the job done.

I said after Leyland resigned that the Tigers had to be careful with who they picked to replace him because who they hire could elevate or destroy what the Tigers already are. While some fans may not like the hire, I am choosing to have faith in Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski. He is considered to be one of the well-respected minds in baseball and he has proven that over the years. He wouldn’t have hired Ausmus without being truly sure that he was the right choice. So yes, Tigers could have gone after other options but I think this hire will work out well.

Written by LBeasley, Sports Contributor for Radio One Detroit

Listen to LBeasley’s Radio Show, “Sports Talk with L-Beasley” every Mon, Wed & Fri from 6-8pm (ET) on LBeasley.com